FROM THE EDITOR

Margaret Sadler | Editor-in-Chief , news & views , ARTA

“ Radicals ” — chemically speaking , radicals ( sometimes called free radicals ) have an element that ’ s unpaired — out of balance — thus making them easily reactive . You can see how the hippies of the ’ 60s and ’ 70s fit that moniker . They saw society as out of balance and reacted , striving for a more equitable , loving , just , and peaceful world . Protest campaigns soon arose regarding civil rights , women ’ s liberation , and Black Power , Red Power , LGBTQ +, and student rights movements — all with a strong countercultural undertone , by people who had quit cutting their hair and quit wearing suits . Some Canadian musicians became icons of the period — Joni Mitchell , Neil Young , and members of The Band among them .

While it ’ s a challenge to measure the effect of protest movements , progressive laws in the ’ 70s and ’ 80s grew out of Flower Power . Influenced by American culture and still more by the migration of draft dodgers , Canadian baby boomers joined in the movement with experiments in education ( Rochdale College ) and media ( Georgia Strait ). The ideals of the “ hippies ” undergird Canadians ’ leanings toward holistic health and wellness , mindfulness , and social justice in this century . Environmentalism , recycling

“ And we ’ ve got to get ourselves Back− to the garden .”

— Joni Mitchell , “ Woodstock ”

and composting , yoga and meditation , and equal rights can all claim roots in that period .

New protests take strength from their predecessors : Tiananmen Square in 1989 , the Arab Spring of 2011 , the Women ’ s March of 2017 . One might wonder how effective they were , but seeds have been planted ; the ground is prepared for growth . Still , we are horrified by the effects of wars in Ukraine , Gaza , and Sudan . What are today ’ s protesters near you saying about these wars ?

Here we stand , Baby Boomers , with the wonder years of “ love and peace ” decades behind us . We were of the generation that influenced the world , with subsequent waves of influence . What now ? Let ’ s not be found waiting for death ! How can that enthusiasm to change the world be kept alive in us ?

Surely our experiences can contribute caringly , carefully , cautiously to conversations with those who succeed us . In the ’ 60s , we determined that those in power would only listen if we massed together and shouted . Read in these news & views pages of intergenerational opportunities , where we might listen whether at the library or in a garden . Relationships are built on listening .

I believe , as did Martin Luther King Jr ., that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice . And still we can influence that bend .

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